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Lessons From a South by Southwest Rookie

Facebook Is Everywhere and AT&T Service Was Nowhere

Dan Shust
Well, I think I've finally come down from that "SXSW high" so many people warned me about. This was my first time attending South By Southwest, and it was a truly amazing experience -- jam-packed with great presentations, panels, demonstrations and discussions. There was so much going on that it is almost impossible to pick out the highlights. If you have some time, check out
SXSW's YouTube channel as well as an ever growing list of
podcasts from the interactive sessions.

Here are some of the things I learned:

Even a kick-ass conference like SXSW hasn't figured out how to streamline the age-old process of picking up your badge. Really? You can't mail me the thing because you are worried about counterfeiting? So I have to wait in a long-ass line, then go up an escalator then wait behind a line drawn with green tape that had text (also drawn in green tape ) that said "wait
behind the line." Seemed a little wrong.

18,000 extra iPhones will definitely overload the local cellular network. This was nuts. It was almost completely impossible to use an AT&T device anywhere near the convention center. An iPhone might has well have been an iPod Touch.
No calls, no IMs, no Twitter. I actually saw people pulling out maps and talking to one another. If this mobile thing takes off there is no way our current carrier structure will be able to support us. On a positive note, the iPhone/iPod Touch is really
becoming a force to be reckoned with in gaming.

There are a few other "directors of emerging media" in the world. Actually got to meet a couple of them. Which was cool. Be sure to follow @dberkowitz and @chi_media_guy on Twitter.

There are only two kinds of laptops at SXSW -- Macbooks and any kind of netbook. Seriously,
everyone had a laptop and they all had a glowing Apple or really tiny netbook. Now, if they had a glowing Apple and were really tiny,
I'd buy one.

Facebook is going to eat the internet. No doubt they are going through a few growing pains right now but think about it -- they are kind of like a social media
Turducken. You have the internet; Facebook runs on the internet but now inside of Facebook you have brand pages that are kind of like websites. Everything might implode, I'm serious. (Actually I'm kidding.) Here is session from
Facebook's Dave Morin.

Film Guys (and Girls) throw the best parties. Note to Google, Facebook, etc -- a deserted office building, Miller High Life, a few cheese trays and
a killer band is all you need. Oh ... and
these guys helped too. Thanks
B-Side.